do you have a favorite COTW character?
I'm so utterly fascinated by him and his constant contradictions. He is a really reliable fighter, yet we see him lazing around most of the time. He says he lost the love for his mother, yet she is always the one he approaches the most. He was horribly (ab)used by the Elders, yet he doesn't hold a grudge against them. He calls himself a failure, yet he saved the Mud Whale from Nous Geraki. And he calls Ouni a monster, yet Shuan sees himself as the bigger monster and is actually somewhat jealous that Ouni seems more human than him.
And all that doesn't stem from a typical Anime trope of him being not true to his feelings or being afraid of them. This is because he genuinely doesn't understand his feelings.
I think Shuan is one of the best written characters in the show and his development (mainly through interacting with Ouni) happens so smoothly and genuine that I can't help but love him.
Even outside his deep characterisation he is just really fun to write and think about. I would have loved if at some point he would have shared more of his inner workings or maybe the knowledge he seemed to possess. I don't know how much he knew about the creations of the Nouses or the working of the world, but he certainly knew much more than most People of the Mud Whale. I remember him talking about the ocean before we even arrived in Amonlogia. Did the Elders know about the ocean as well or did Shuan learn that from the experiment? I'd love to know the answer.
I'd like to think that in an alternate timeline where Shuan wasn't abducted by Nous Geraki, he would have been able to take on some advisor role to Suou about the vast world they are about to face.
On top of that every extra scene with Ouni or Ginshu would have been amazing.
Speaking of them, Ouni and then Ginshu are my favourite Characters after him. And while I know they are not really a trio, those three have an amazing and hilarious chemistry between them.
Ouni probably is no surprise to hear. I just love the whole Daimonas lore and interactions we got of those two. As for Ginshus, she is just a ray of sunshine and while she is not written to be that deep and more of a comic relief, she is still so precious to me. Though I must say: I prefer her characterisation in the stage play from what I've seen and understood.
I also want to mention Itia as one of my favourites. Bless her kind heart even after everything she went through. I'm so immensely happy for her happy ending. She really deserves it and I was certain Orca wouldn't make it that far.
Thank you for your question. I love rambling about Shuan.
